Amusement apparatus.



Y. PISHBAUK.

AMUSEMBNT APPARATUS.

APPLIOATIOH FILED SEPT. 5, 1911.

1,01 7,526. Patented Feb. 13,1912.

y /MQJW Y. FISHBAGK.

AMUSEMENT APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED sEPT.5,1911.

Patented Feb. 13, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

@uw tot a@ K W ing within an inclosure,

YATEB FISHBACK, 0F WHTE HALL, ILLINOIS.

AMUSEMENT Ar'rAnATUs.

To all whom it ma/y concern.'

Be it known that I, Yarns FIsHBAcK, a citizen of the United States, residing at White Hall, in the county of Greene and State of Illinoishave invented certain new and useful Improvements in Amusement Apparatus, ofl which the following is a specification, reference being had to the aecomlpanying drawings.

T 1s invention re ates to amusement apparatus and has for its object to provide means whereby one may experience the sens sation of being suspended in the air or floating through space, such as would be experienced if the person were the occupant of a iiying machine.

Anotherv object of the invention resides in the provision of a simple and inexpensive amusement .structure of the above described character, whereby the above described sensations are roduced .upon the patron to a very high egres, and another important object of the invention is to provide a device which will be extremely attractive and entertaining and one which may be operated at very small expense.

With these and other objects in View, this invent-ion consists in the novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of arts as will be hereinafter referred to an more particularly pointed out in the specification and claims.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this application, Figure 1 is a lon-A gitudinal section of an amusement device constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a top plan view, and, Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line 3-3, of Fig. l.

The present invention is based u on the theory that if a person is positions out of sight of the earth so that the only thing within the range of vision is the sky, the same sensations will be experienced as if the person were actually in the air above the earth, as in a balloon or flying machine. I aim to produce such sensations by ari-ang a flexible movable platform, Whereon one or more persons may e stationed. At the sides and ends of the inclosure and within the same, inclined Walls are arranged which extend above the line iof horizon so that a person within the inclosure is shut oil from all view of the earth.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led September 5, 1911.

Patented Feb. 13, 1912. Serial No. 847,626.

It is understood, of course, that the structure is erected at an isolated point remote from all buildings or tall trees so that nothing whatever except the skycan be seen above the upper edges of said inclined walls. These walls, themselves, are painted to represent the Sky and are so inclined that they will appear to blend into the sky so that their upper edges cannot be distinguished.'

With the above explanation of the vital characteristics of my improved amusement structure, attention is now directed to the drawings wherein` 5 designates a building wall which is built upon any suitable foundation or base and is preferably, though not necessarily, of rectangular form and plan. This building wall may be of any desired dimensions. No roof or cover is provided for the structure, the top thereof being entirely open, as shown in F ig. 1. l/Vithin the building wall 5, a hori ntal plat-form 7 is mounted upon suitable supports or pedestals 6 which are arranged at intervals between the platform and t entire upper surface of this plat orm is covered with panels or plates of mirror glass, indicated at 8. To the sides and ends of the platform 7, the lower ends of the outwardly and upwardly inclined or flaring side and end walls ,9 and 10, respectively, are secured in any suitable manner. These Walls are provided with a plurality of apertures 11 which are arranged romi'scuous'ly therein, and behind said wa ls in line with the apertures, the electric light bulbs 12' are disposed. These bulbs may be mounted or supported in any desired manner and are wired to a source of current supply,ithe electric circuit including a switch whereby the current may be readily controlled and the lights extinguished. The inner surfaces of the walls 9 and 10 are painted sky blue and the openings 11 are cut in the shape of stars so that the Walls will appear to be a continuation of the sky, said 'walls being -dis osed at such an inclination that the dividing line between the upper edges of the Walls and the sky cannot be easily distinguished.

A fiexible platform 13 is arranged for movement around the rollers 14 which are arrangedbeneath the latfro .7 and at opposits ends thereof. ne` of ldiese rollers is e floor or base of the buildin r. The

connected by suitable power transmissirm means with the shaft of a motor 15 which is arranged beneath the platform. This flexible platform 13 is of the ordinary slat con struction and extends through openings lli adjacent the ends of the r)latform T, the upper stretch of the Inova le platform 125 l being disposed in parallel spaced relation to the mirrored surface of the platform 7 and supported and guided bv means of a plurality of rollers 17 which are mounted beneath the longitudinal parallel bars 18 upon which the hand rails 19 are arranged. The bars 18 are of sufficient width to eliminate l the possibility of a person standing upon the movable platform 13 between the rails lll seeing his or her reflection in the mirrored surface 8 of the stationary latform 7. The boards or bars 18 are suita ly supported by I neans of a plurality of vertical posts or l bea 1s 20 arising from the platform T. l

e outer wall 5 of the structure is provided in each end with a door andthe inclined end walls 10 are also provided with l doors 21 at their lowerends to which a sea ries of steps leadjrom the walls 5, so that the passengers or patrons may readily ascend and pass through one of the walls 10 upon the movin platform or make their exit from Said plat orm.

In the operation of the device, the motor 15 is started so as to continuously move the i flexible platform 13, said motor being so geared or connected to the roller 14 as to move the platform very slowly. A person i, entering through the door in one of the end walls 10 takes his or her position upon the i platfrom 13 and is carried the entire length i of the structure between the walls 10. The l, movable platform moves at such slow speed that at least ten minutes is required to i make the entire trip from end to end of the i structure. While the patron or passengcrl is standing upont the platform and between l the rails 19, there is nothing Within thel range of vision except the actual slry whichl may be seen above the open top of the structure and the artificial sky which the walls 9 and 10 are repared to represent. No earth, trees or uildings being visible, the person will experience the aforesaid scnsal tion of floating slowly in the air, which senl sation is entirely agreeable and to most perl l l sons unique. The mirrored surface 8 of the base or platform 7 `reflects the Walls 9 and 10 and also the actual sky, so that there ap pears to be nothing Whatever within the range of vision except the sky and the conl stellations therein. l From the foregoing, it will be seen that .l l have devised an amusement structure which is comparatively simple and at the same l time will be strongly attractive to the amusement desiring public, in that it provides i means for experiencing those sensations l which otherwise rould only be exl'iorienred by an actual aeroplane flight. The structure may also be erected at very small cost and the expense of operation. and maintenance is comparatively insignificant.

While l have specified a moving platform, i` will be understood that l also anticipate the use of a stationary platform. The invnntion is also susceptible of a great many minor modifications in the form, proportion and arrangement of various departing from the essential feature or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

W hat I claimv is :M-

ll. An amusement structure of the characn-r described, comprising a base, upwardly and ouvardly inclined Walls arrange upon the edges of said base and having their inner surfaces prepared to represent the sky, said base having a reflective upper sur-- face, and a plat-form extending above said base in parallel relation thereto.

An :nnnscment structure of the charac ter described comprising a base and inclosing wall therefor extending above the horizon line, said base having a reflective upper surface, shy simulating means arrange within said wall, and a platform arranged above said base.

An amusement structure of the character described, comprising a base, upwardly and outwardly inclined walls arranged upon the edges of the base and extending above the horizon line, said Walls being prepare upon their inner surfaces to symbolize the sky and to provide what appears to be a continuation thereof, and a platform movable between the end walls and disposed. above the base in parallel relation thereto.

4. An amusement structure of the character doveri-bed, comprising a base having a mirrored surface, upwardly and outwardly inclined .side and end walls arranged upon vthe edges of the base having their inner surfaces pre-pared to represent the sky, a movable platform extending above-said base in parallel relation thereto, and means for pre venting a person stationed on said platform from observing his reflection in the mir-- rored surface of the base. I

5. An amusementstructure of the character dcscribcil, omnprising a base' having a mirrored surface. upwardly and outwardly ini-.lined side and end walls arranged upon the edges of the base and provided with a plurality of .star-shaped openings, the inner surfaces of said walls being prepared to represent the sky and form what appears to be a continuation thereof, said Walls eX- tending above the line of the horizon, electric light bulbs arranged behind the open ings in r-nid walls, a movable platform extending oror said base in spaced relation thm-cto, said platform extending from one parts without` d we end wall to the other, means arranged adjacent to the edges of the platform to prevent a person stationed thereon from seeing his reflection inthe mirrored surface of the base, and rails arranged at opposite sides of the platform.

6. An amusement structure of the character described entirely open at its top and comprising a base and inclosing wall therefor, said base having a reective up er surface, slql simulating means arrang within said wa to be reflected in the base surface and produce what appears to be a continuation of the real sky, and aplatform arranged above said base.

7. An amusement structureeof the charac-` ter described entirely open at its top and comprising a base and aninelosing wall therefor extending above the horizon line, sky simulating means arranged within said wall to produce what appears to be a concom rising a base and upwardly an outwa ly inclined walls inclosing said base and extending abovethe horizon line, the inner surfaces of 'said walls being prepared to represent the sky and provide what a pears to be a continuation thereof, saidw and the real sky being reected in the base surface, and means movable over said base surface and in spaced relation thereto to carry a passenger across said base between the inclosing walls. A

In testimon whereof I hereunto aiix my signature in e presence of two witnesses.

YATES FISHBACK. Witnesses:

ERNEST H. Hamm', Crus. H. Davis. 

